After Jack Harrison began the new Premier League campaign with three assists and a goal from his first three matches – not to mention an exhilarating display in the 3-0 destruction of Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea – a place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the Qatar World Cup did not appear to be completely out of the question.
That absolutely no one is talking about Harrison securing a seat on the plane two months on – despite the absence of fellow left-sider Ben Chilwell – is testament to how dramatically his form has dipped since the leaves changed from green to brown.
The Leeds United winger has not scored a goal since that thrashing of Chelsea at Elland Road three months ago; a performance that quickly began to feel like something of a false dawn, both for player and club.
Nor has he provided a single assist.
Newcastle United target Jack Harrison struggling for form at Leeds
Jesse Marsch’s side, despite successive wins over Liverpool and Bournemouth, have fallen some way short of the standards they set on that magical August afternoon. And the fact that Leeds found themselves 2-1 down at home to Gary O’Neil’s Bournemouth before Harrison was hauled off at the break this weekend – before going onto win 4-3 without him – doesn’t reflect well on a man who saw two bids from Newcastle United rejected over the summer (Athletic).
The decisiveness and drive that characterised his start to the season has been replaced by inconsistency and poor decision making. Harrison, against Bournemouth, stumbled down more cul-de-sacs than a Deliveroo driver with a broken Sat Nav.
Harrison, reportedly valued by Leeds at a staggering £50 million, has completed the full 90 minutes in just two of the last eight Premier League games. He’s even been hauled off at half-time on two separate occasions (90Min).
When fit, Luis Sinisterra is now Marsch’s first choice for the left-wing role Harrison made his own under Marcelo Bielsa. This, coupled with the emergence of Willy Gnonto and Crysencio Summerville (matchwinner in each of Leeds’ last two games), means Harrison’s place in the starting XI suddenly feels under genuine threat for the first time in recent memory.
Gnonto and Summerville shine as Harrison toils
“In the future I want to try and make it to the national team,” Harrison said recently, via talkSPORT. “It’s been a bit of a rough patch at the minute. But I’ve still got that goal in mind and I’m pushing for that.”
A first ever England cap can wait. Harrison’s focus, for the time being now, should be on retaining his place at club level.
“Jack is a guy that we count on and is very reliable. But certainly Willy, I think Joffy (Joe Gelhardt) as well (can fight with him for a starting spot),” Marsch tells Leeds Live.
“Obviously now we see Crysencio at a really high level. A lot of these young guys are pushing. And again, I always try to mention Mateo (Joseph) and Sonny (Perkins) as well. Because we really like those guys.”
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